Wasn't Tartarus Bad Enough?
by xXSavinTheWhalesXx
Summary: Set after SoN and before MoA. Nico journeys into Tartarus to find the Doors of Death, only to be stuffed into a jar by a couple of tutu-wearing, Wonder-bread-eating giants. It's better than it sounds! Rated T because K is for pansycakes! *ON HIATUS FOR AN UNDETERMINED PERIOD OF TIME*
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, Earthlings! It is I, AggieLou. But of course, you wouldn't know me, would you? But I digress.**

**This is my first fanfic ever, so please don't judge me. Constructive criticism is always appreciated. I live to be better than I am now. Never fear! If it sucks, tell me so in a "constructive" manner, and I shall never write again. Clear? As mud, excellent. Now, onto the story; The mothership calls!**

**Disclaimer: **

**Me: Do I look like a middle-aged man?**

**Conscience: Yeah, you kinda do.**

**Me: *angry face* Whatever, I don't own PJO or HoO. Happy?**

**Conscience: Yeah. 'Cause I win.**

**Me: *pulls out lightsaber* No, I think I do. **

The whole way there, the only thing I was thinking was, _What in Hades are you doing, di Angelo?_

I was about to jump into Tartarus. Tartarus, for Zeus' sake. The embodiment of the spirit of evil. A giant pit full of nasties like empousai and dracaenae and Typhon. Oh, and don't forget Kronos and the Cyclopes and Hundred-Handed Ones. Yeah, got that. And what was that about me being really, really stupid for trying to find the Doors of Death by myself, worse than putting-spiders-in-Annabeth's-bed stupid? Sorry, I can't hear you. Lalala!

But I was demigod. I had a responsibility. I had done enough sitting around, never being around, moping around. It was about time I got my butt in gear and did something useful. The sooner the seven fulfilled their prophecy and we defeated Gaea, the better. I wasn't accepted at Camp Jupiter, and even campers at Camp Half-Blood were a little creeped out by me; it wasn't like I would be missed. Maybe Hazel would lose her only family, but I had lost Bianca. I never really recovered from her leaving me, first for the Hunters, then in death, but I'm okay, aren't I? I never felt like I belonged anywhere, not even in the Underworld, so I figured, who better to do this than the creepy death kid who no one likes? Especially compared to Percy, as everyone somehow was, I felt inadequate; a need to do something more, to be more useful; to stop being so cowardly.

But standing here, at the top of the gravel slope, looking down at the cavernous void, my knees felt like Jell-O. My heart was a frantic bird in a cage, to match my brain. My hands visibly shook as I drew my sword, holding it aloft like an idiot. I exhaled sharply, sick of never acting, never being brave- always the coward, the loner, the creeper. It was never said, but I could feel it coming my way, anywhere I went where people knew who I was. It hurt. The only one who really knew me was Bianca, and she'd been reborn. I had no one now; what had I to lose? It was time to kick some Dirt Queen butt.

I was a child of Hades. I could do this. It was almost my home territory, where I was strongest. If anyone was going to voyage through the Underworld, I was the guy. _No turning back, Nico, _I told myself. That's okay. I didn't want to.

Feeling like I was running through quicksand, I began to sprint down the slope, backpack bouncing with each step. My heart began to pound even harder, if that was possible, and my breath grew shallow and shaky. I planned to jump at a run, so that I couldn't stop. I could feel the hot, sulfurous wind rising from the chasm, pulling me in, like clawed hands. Dread engulfed me as I took a final step and launched myself into the air, falling swiftly into the yawning maw.

I raised my sword, the Stygian iron barely emitting any light as I plunged into to darkness, only an eerie red glow from beneath me giving any indication of my whereabouts. A tangible sense of malevolence hung heavy and hot in the air as it swished past me in my descent. I thought I felt a hand at my back, and I swung around in free fall, slashing wildly with my sword in terror, letting a sour taste from the air enter my mouth as I yelled. Nothing was there. My hair flew up from the speed at which I was falling, and I worried what would happen at the bottom, if there was a bottom. How stupid would it be to jump into Tartarus all heroic, then get smashed into a grease spot at the bottom? I reached out with my sword again, this time to see if I could reach the side of the pit, and I hit rock with the very tip. It threw off sparks in the gloom, and it was that I noticed that my arm felt oddly free. Not entirely processing what this meant, I reached back and felt only the rough fabric of my aviator's jacket. Powerful waves of panic set my heart into palpitations, and my blaring alarms went off in my head. My backpack was gone. No ambrosia, no water, no nectar, no beef jerky (and it was good quality, not Iris' weird macrobiotic kind), no extra stuff.

"Styx, Styx, Styx, Styx, Styx…" I muttered under my breath. Time was running out before my fall ended, and I needed to rest somewhere. Panic could come later. After all, the deeper I fell into this hellhole, the harder it was to think through paralyzing terror. I reached out again, to make sure I was still close, and felt reassured to see sparks again. I braced my shoulder, and then unseeingly flung myself sideways at the rock wall.

Red pain washed over me, almost numbing my sword arm as my side slammed into the jagged rock. I scrabbled with my good arm to find a handhold, but all I could find was rough stone. I was sure that I would burst from the fear of dying, that I was tearing at the seams already. Ha, that's ironic; the kid of the god of the dead, afraid of dying. Finally, I slammed into a ledge, knocking all my remaining breath from my body and jarring my brain from standing still and hitting the rock. I felt like Mrs. O'Leary had used me as a chew toy. I was covered in cuts and scratches, breathing heavily from relief and fatigue.

"Smooth…Nico…" was all I could get out before I collapsed into a numb state from exhaustion. I was never, ever doing that again. Ever. I throbbed all over, but hey; at least I was alive. Nevertheless, now that all imminent danger was gone- namely being smashed into a gazillion tiny Nico bits- I found panic creeping back in. I didn't have any supplies, only my sword and-

_The seeds_. "Please, please tell me I still have them," I whispered anxiously. I tried to sit up, but I groaned. Okay, so I still felt like I had been sat on by Kampê. Instead, I lay back down and scrabbled at my pocket and felt a cluster of the little red jewels, from my step-mother's garden. I sighed in relief, but that hurt, so I contented myself with thoughts of how much I hated Queen Dirt Face and her evil nasties and minions and the like. Ah, satisfying. I forced myself to avoid thoughts of the other campers, because I hadn't told them where I'd gone. It wasn't until I heard the shrieking, unearthly screams that my superficial sense of safety was shattered. They came from far below, from the eerie red glow (**Hey, I just rhymed.)**, and my heart rate began to pick up again. How could I think that I could navigate Tartarus? Me, a skinny, gloomy, pathetic coward? Who was I kidding? _Only myself._

This was going to be a long few days.

**Okay, so that's it; it was an über short chappie. So please, review! Reviews make me happy! Tell me whether I should continue, please. Please? I will most likely not be able to update as often as you'd like me to (if any of you do) if you want adequate chapters (as in, not crappy and filler). Please review! Did I mention that? Oh, yeah, I did. *grins sheepishly***

**AggieLou ("Beam me up, Scotty!" *dematerializes in glowy light*)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Konichiwa, reader-san. Clearly, I don't speak Japanese, but whatever. **

**I fixed the spelling error in my title *shameful face*.**

**Thank you to my wonderful reviewers:**

**emblah01 (curse you, it's temporary insanity)**

** . (I FREAKING love this pen name)**

**Rylee Wyatt (It's been a while since I read MoA. The details are a little (very) fuzzy, so in my world he jumped, because Nico's the bad boy son of Hades.)**

**That was a shuck-load more reviews than I expected! (haha, Maze Runner)**

**Disclaimer: I own a goldfish, not PJO. Rick Riordan does. Scratch that, it's not even a goldfish, and I don't even own it. **

* * *

I woke to a piercing, blood-curdling scream.

"Mmmmph," I groaned. I knew I shouldn't have put those spiders in Annabeth's bed. But damn, that girl was fine. I had to find a way to interact…

It echoed again, and I was suddenly aware of my surroundings. I was in Tartarus. Hello! Earth to Nico! Pit of evil!

I jumped up, still sore all over, and nearly toppled off my ledge.

"Gah!" My toes tipped over the edge, my arms flailing like windmills, until I regained my balance and pressed myself against the wall, chest heaving. My short burst of exertion had already made me sorer than I was, although now it was reduced to a dull, throbbing ache. It was a miracle I hadn't broken anything. I figured it was maybe twelve hours before I absolutely had to eat something, so now I focused on the more pressing matter of getting off of this ledge.

It was long and narrow, not ideal for a long-term stay. On my hands and knees, I peered over the edge. The red glow had abated slightly, and was it my imagination, or did I see eyes? The magnitude of Tartarus' depth seemed to hit me like a wave, and I started to feel lightheaded. Pressing a hand to my temple, I sat back against the wall. My eyes had adjusted to the darkness- dark by even my standards- so that I could make out the faint outlines of my surroundings. I was still in a vertical tunnel, the bottom nowhere in sight, the other side too far away to see clearly. I pushed the hair out of my eyes and got a tighter grip on my sword. For the first time, I regretted not having a blade of Celestial bronze. The Stygian iron didn't reflect anything in the perpetual darkness-

Gods, I was stupid. There is only one darkness. It was all the same. I could just shadow travel to the Doors of Death!

"Stupid, stupid kid," I chided myself. Drawing in a breath, I turned with difficulty and walked toward the wall. The ensuing smack stung my nose and I nearly toppled over backwards again. I collapsed in a heap, drained. My attempt at shadow traveling had been even more exhausting than my first time ever. _With great power comes great need for a nap._

I sucked in a deep breath and decided it was a fluke. With difficulty, I struggled back to my feet and walked into the shadows again, only to tumble back, exhaustion weighing me down like I had run a marathon.

A startling thought occurred to me. Could I not use my powers in Tartarus? Was it really that maleficent that the more I used my strength, the less of myself I had? It made sense. The more force I used, the weaker I would get in such a powerful place. I wasn't even at the bottom yet.

If this was Hades' maximum security prison, would it have any order, or simply be a chaotic mess of ugly? How could I navigate through it, if my powers didn't work here? It wasn't like I could just stop and ask for directions. _Oh, excuse me. Could you show me where the- Aaaagh! My leg! _I lay on my back, listening to the wailing, trying to calm my breathing and break out of the fatigue. I felt around in my pocket for the pomegranate seeds, and I was _so tempted_ to eat one, just to fully recharge. But I knew that was stupid, since I could- had to- go for longer to ration my supply. I got up, shuffled around awkwardly, then lay flat on my stomach, my legs bent up so that I didn't pitch face-first into the red glow. I peered over the edge, and experienced a dizzying wave of nausea, so high I felt I was. I looked up but could no longer see the stalactites of the Underworld. I was surrounded by pure black, and that really annoyed me, because on principle I should have been able to shadow travel to the Doors. I wondered indulgently if I would have been able to if I had brought along…Percy's dog. What was her name?

I started to freak out, and curled into a ball on my ledge of stone, arms wrapped around my knees. How did I not remember her name? _Think, man, think. It was something Scottish, or Irish, or whatever. McDonald? McNeil? _

My brain was whirling, and I could already feel myself tiring out. Just to calm myself down, I ran through a few things.

_My name is Nico di Angelo. I lived in the Lotus Casino for seventy years, after living in D.C. My sister's name is Bianca. She died on a quest after leaving me for the Hunters. My mother's name is Maria. She was killed by Zeus. My father is Hades, god of the dead. My half-sister is Hazel Levesque, who was brought back from the dead. My best friend is Percy Jackson. He's saved me many times, and I'll never be able to repay him. I jumped into Tartarus to find and close the Doors of Death so that my friends have a chance to defeat Gaea, who is wakening. _Good, I could still remember everything. Well, everything important.

I loosened a little from my tight form and looked over the edge again. I couldn't just stay on this ledge for the rest of my short life. I wasn't going up, so I had to go down. Tentatively, not knowing whether something nasty was going to bite my leg off, I stuck my foot off the ledge and lowered it. Nothing happened. I inched closer to the edge and let the whole weight of my leg fall. Nothing happened.

Suddenly, a gust wind, or perhaps something more sinister, curled around my ankle and jerked me down. I let out a very unmanly scream as I was dragged off my ledge, scrabbling at the rough rock surface for purchase, but the grip was too strong. I flew out into the middle of the tunnel as the world turned upside down.

I was flying through the gloom, toward the crimson light, my heart fluttering somewhere near my Adam's apple. I tried to pull my leg free, but was only met with a dull pain. My hands crawled to my lower leg, where I felt something squishy and warm and wet and…pulsating wrapped around it. My hands recoiled instinctively, an expression of horror distorting my already terrified face. Not knowing how far or fast I was travelling, I unsheathed my sword, my vision blurred by the tears forming from the speed of my descent. Tartarus was hot, and sulfurous, and dry- but still sent chills down my spine. I hacked blindly at the _thing_, feeling something warm seep onto my pants, but I couldn't cut myself free. Finally, after a few moments of making no headway, it seemed that I should save my energy and resign myself to face whatever was pulling me down into the depths of hell. I knew I would have to face monsters down here; I just hoped that I would be strong enough to not die. _Time to stop being such a wuss, di Angelo. _

How deep was this stupid pit? I had been falling for at least a few minutes.

As if in answer, I was suddenly engulfed in the scarlet glow, and I could visibly see it drawing strength from me, a little wisp of silvery vapour dispersing in the air. I began to panic, breathing suddenly a little harder. I looked down at what was curled around my leg, and- and…

It looked like a tongue.

Freak-out time.

* * *

**Story time, kids.**

**Okay, I went MIA because I was going to abandon my story, but then my beastie- er, bestie, Lou showed me how to see my views, and I was like, "Whoa." Because it was a lot more views than I thought it was. So, moral of the story: If you read, please review, even if you're a guest, because otherwise I don't know what people thought of my chapter, and I might just abandon the story, and reviews make me smile. The blue button loves you! **

**On a side note, my friends and I went to a hockey game and two of my best friends were acting all couple-y. Lou and I think that's they're perfect for each other; now all we have to do is get a confession of undying love from my thick-headed guy-friend. **

**AggieLou**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello, my khaki cheese taquitos (long inside-joke that would take forever to explain involving a ninja, an orange and a roller-chair)! Thank you for taking time out of your superstar glamorous sparkly lives to read my mediocre story, especially:**

**emblah01 (temporary insanity, my friend. Love the real LouLou Girl numero uno)**

**Emily-guest (Shank you, dah-link. I don't intend to switch POV, because who doesn't want to hear from the bad boy son of Hades? [Sorry, I'm fangirling, something I don't normally do.])**

**LeoReyna (Thanks. I'll try, but I'm a busy chick [and none of it's social life, as I have none])**

**kporrelli (How likely is it that anyone we know will read it? But how am I supposed to add a Leroy?)**

**And . , because my computer was jacked up and didn't load your name in the previous chapter (and I really do FREAKING love your pen name)**

**(P.S: Jonah is my bestest guy friend in the whole wide worldio!) Yeah…Jonah wrote that…**

**Disclaimer: **

**Rick is a badass.**

**He created PJO.**

**I'll never be him.**

**(Liked my haiku? I didn't think so. Apollo would be ashamed.)**

**Does anyone even read A/Ns? Anyway, sorry, this chapter isn't proofed because I felt bad about the long wait between updates. **

As if coming over the crest of a hill, a maw came into view. And Styx, was it huge. Big-enough-to-swallow-a skinny-death-guy-with-a-sword huge. A row of pointed canines were set wide apart as the monster opened its mouth, exposing the other end of its fat, pink tongue. I shook my leg like a moron, trying to shake myself loose, but I could see in the faint red light that I had done hardly any damage with my sword, and was about to become a Nico-snack-bite. I set my face, ready to confront this latest monster, my sword poised, but suddenly I was jerked to the side, falling through the air and then landing on cold, hard ground with an impact strong enough to knock out all of my teeth. _What the Hades just happened?_

I looked up, scrambling to my feet and raising my sword, disregarding the stinging, throbbing feeling everywhere, and what I saw was definitely scarier than the mouth.

It was a snake. A giant, metallic yellow-scaled snake with watery blue-white eyes, pointed fangs, and a plump, forked tongue, big enough to make Peleus look like a Dalmatian. Oh, and did I mention that it had two heads, one on either end? I surmised that I had been snatched by one head's tongue, and as I got close enough, the other head had wanted a bit of the action. What was this thing again?

A voice like Annabeth's rang out in my head. _It's an Amphisbaena, idiot._ The only problem was that I had no clue what this thing could do, or where it was from, or whether anyone had beaten it. Probably Heracles, but whatever.

Then I realized…it looked occupied. I could just slip away and let it squabble with itself. But as soon as I took my first tentative step in the other direction, both heads snapped towards me, pale eyes focused. _Di immortals, _was I wishing I was back at camp right about now. Slowly, and slightly lopsidedly, it started slithering towards me, both heads at attention. I froze, but then remembered the drakon from the battle of Manhattan. If Clarisse could handle it all by herself, surely I could face this Amphisbaena…in Tartarus. Piece of Dauntless cake.

I didn't want to wait for it to reach me, so just as I had sprinted into the void, I charged it, roaring in anticipation of battle (definitely _not_ fear), brandishing my sword. It seemed surprised of my boldness, but soon got over it, lashing out with both heads, which threw its full weight toward me. Battle reflexes taking over, I rolled in between its outstretched jaws, placed a hand on its smooth, hard scales and vaulted over it. Unfortunately, I had misjudged its width, and was now sprawled on top of its middle. I scrambled to my feet, slipping on the scales, but not quickly enough. Both heads lunged at me again, and without thinking, I launched myself onto its head, grappling to stay on while it thrashed around. I raised myself a little, still clinging onto the serpent's head, and managed to extract my sword from the fray. I plunged it into its eye, and it hissed in pain, hitting me in the gut with its tongue. I got flipped upside-down, because hey- the thing had a freaking strong tongue the size of a sofa. Lying on my back, in between its eyes, I took my chance and stabbed out its other eye. I could feel the Stygian iron- my nightmare blade, forged in the Underworld, cooled in the Styx- soaking up the monster's essence, but a realization hit me like an angry Clarisse- my blade might absorb a creature's essence, but it got sent to Tartarus. Where I was. There was no beating this thing; there was no beating any monster, because back above, the baddies got sent down here. Now knowing my efforts were futile, I was scrambling to right myself to slide down the Amphisbaena's back and book it when the snake's other head collided with the one I held onto, sending me flying onto the hard- very hard- stone floor. As my body hit the ground with a brain-rattling impact, my forced exhale came in the form of the same little wisp of silver, strangely a bright hue in the red light. A shiver was sent down my spine when a word crossed my mind. _Soul_. Was that-

I wasted no further time, ungainly leaping to my feet and full-on sprinting away. Its heads seemed too busy squabbling amongst themselves to notice my escape, which suited me just fine. My feet felt like they were made of iron, my limbs filled with lead. Regardless, I struggled on as the adrenaline drained from my system, finally flopping down behind a stone outcropping rising from nowhere. It was still dark everywhere, an oddly thick black, but red light illuminated my immediate surroundings softly. I tried not to breathe through my mouth, because it didn't smell here as much as the air was sour.

More wailing rose around me as I lay flat on my back, trying to break through my exhaustion, a thousand times worse than after my shadow travel this morning. I tried to get up, but couldn't, so I figured it was time to crack out a seed. I fumbled with my pocket and fished out a pomegranate jewel from the garden of Persephone, and slowly, arduously, stuck it in my mouth.

_Hmm. A little linty._

Almost immediately, I felt a rush in my blood, spreading from my centre outwards, like warm water. I only realized that I was shivering until I stopped. I sat up, ready to start my trek again, exhaling slowly. My nerves were still rattled from my encounter with the Amphisbaena, but were jarred even more by another wisp of hoary air escaping into the ether and then dissolving, sending a shudder through me. The cold feeling returned, if only slightly, and for the first time, I felt a little…empty.

Okay, Nico. Emergency run-through.

_My name is Nico di Angelo. I lived in the Lotus Casino for seventy years, after living…living in…_

I took a deep breath through my nose, trying to stop myself from panicking and wasting energy. What I wouldn't have given for some ambrosia right now! Shut up, ADHD part of Nico's brain! Keep listing.

_My sister's name is Bianca. She died on a quest after leaving me for the Hunters. My mother's name is Maria. She was killed by Zeus. My father is Hades, god of the dead. My half-sister is Hazel… okay, no last name, who was brought back from the dead. My best friend is Percy Jackson. I jumped into Tartarus to find and close the Doors of Death so that my friends have a chance to defeat Gaea, who is wakening._

This was not good. I was literally losing myself. I bet that if I had a mirror, I wouldn't be able to recognize myself. I stood with difficulty, leaning against the outcropping, preparing to continue moving. I cocked my ear, instinctively, before moving any further, but what I heard was not expected.

Music. Singing. A haunting, chilling, weaving, lingering, unearthly, ancient melody, settling into my bones, giving me a heavy feeling. But somehow, it seemed so…sinister. It crept my mind slowly, just soft enough to make me strain a little to hear it.

A second later, I knew it was definitely sinister as I fell to my knees, clutching my head. Pure fear cleaved through my mind, everything turned into a kaleidoscope of violently coloured hues, my heart began to pound steadily faster.

And I

Can't

Think.

**Liked my Divergent reference? Okay, so here's how Jonah thought the chapter should end: **

**[Suddenly, someone fell on the Amphisbaena, killing it. **"**Thalia?" I asked. "****Yeah?" she asked. ****Suddenly we were making out…. And lived happily ever after with our 20 kids and lots of passionate… Err….. Hugs?**

**THE END!**

**What the hell was that? Oh silly me… my mind seemed to have wondered a bit….. Oh well…]**

**Yeah…**

**Read and review, because the blue button and I love you. Reviews make my day! A word, a sentence, or an essay; it doesn't matter to me. Just review please! **

**Oh my wizard god, I didn't even mean to rhyme like that. DI IMMORTALES, that just made me so happy! **

**AggieLou**


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